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@velvetmoose9/">@
@velvetmoose9Thanks for the reply.
It helps me out knowing he's more or less conscious during the day—fingers crossed things start looking up soon.
I’m looking for some answers if anyone can help out—my dad had surgery seven days ago for an ascending aortic aneurysm (they used a synthetic graft) and his valve was replaced with a biological one. The surgery itself went fine, but since waking up, he’s been showing signs of postoperative delirium: total disorientation, confusion, and aggression. He keeps trying to rip out all his IV lines and wants to just get up and walk away—he doesn't realize where he is or even that he just had surgery. This delirium mostly hits at night... during the day he’s better, less aggressive, and doesn't complain about pain as much, though he still "zones out" occasionally. He knows he’s in the hospital and recognizes us as family... he even remembers trying to pull the wires at night and remembers them having to restrain him, but he swears he does it because of the pain.
The doctors say this happens and that it’s temporary (they have him on Haloperidol), but since these psychotic episodes are coming in waves and it's now the seventh day since he woke up—leaving him stuck in the ICU constantly (even though his other vitals are steady)—I’m terrified he might stay like this.
Just to be clear, he has no history of mental illness or addiction (other than being a heavy smoker who quit cold turkey the second he hit the hospital). He isn't an alcoholic, though he used to drink pretty heavily with his buddies back in the day. He’s 62.
I don't even know what I'm asking... I'm just desperate and wondering if he’ll ever go back to himself. I don't know if there's a link to the anesthesia... I posted this in the "cardiac surgery corner," but since nobody replied, I'm putting it here.